


Casing

by ifloveistheanswer



Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Gen, Hinata/Komaeda is mentioned, M/M, bisexual souda, friendship focus between komaeda and souda, references to souda's free time events with hinata, set post-series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-25 18:19:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifloveistheanswer/pseuds/ifloveistheanswer
Summary: Souda pulls Komaeda aside to ask for some personal advice.





	Casing

**Author's Note:**

> I've given up on calling the characters by their first names in my writing, lol
> 
> follow me on twitter: @komakaikoma

The jury’s still out on whether Komaeda sees himself as perceptive or hopelessly oblivious. He’s had both traits ascribed to him in different situations. Sonia once commented that he always seems to be “twenty steps ahead of everyone else, which would make you a wonderful military leader,” and he wasn’t sure if it was a compliment but he thanked her wholeheartedly all the same. To the contrary, Koizumi sighed at him last Valentine’s and said, “You’re really not gonna give anyone chocolate because you think no one would want it from you? _Really?_ There’s not anyone, not a _single_ person on this island, who you think _maybe_ has interest in you. Like, for example, maybe the person who stayed by your pod all day, every day until you woke up from the program as if he were a lost puppy…? Geez, guys like you really can’t take a hint.”

(He rectified _that_ blunder eventually. It seems everyone on the island knew Hinata was pining before Komaeda did, and he feels a _tiny_ bit silly for it in retrospect.)

He’s pretty sure he’s picking up on _some_ kind of frequency right now, though, sitting at the dinner table in the hotel restaurant. He keeps sensing the burn of wordless glances from across the way, and though the person in question hasn’t said a word to him all night, he has a distinct feeling that they want to. He isn’t sure what, exactly, but it makes him shift a little in his seat and ask Hinata if there’s any food on his face.

Hanamura is thanked by all for another lovely dinner, and the once-classmates disperse to attend to their nightly rituals. A few stragglers are left behind.

“Do you wanna do something tonight?” Hinata asks as he puts away the last of the dishes. He doesn’t seem to have noticed Komaeda’s internal dilemma. “Watch a movie or something?”

“I’d love to, Hinata-kun, but I think I have something I need to do first.” Komaeda thinks he catches a glimpse of hot pink hair from around the corner. “You go on ahead of me.”

Hinata looks confused but knows Komaeda well enough by now to understand that he’ll get the details later if it’s anything important. “Okay, sure. See you later, then.” With only a passing moment of hesitation, he leans forward to peck Komaeda on the lips before disappearing into the cool, nighttime island night.

And sure enough, once Hinata closes the door behind him, Souda appears.

“Good evening, Souda-kun,” Komaeda chirps pleasantly. He isn’t sure what the nature of this conversation is going to be, so he hopes to set the tone as positively as possible in case Souda is sour over something.

He doesn’t look to be, though. In fact, the mechanic looks several shades shyer than usual, his hands stuffed into his pockets, face aimed more at the ground than it is at Komaeda. “Hey, Komaeda. Umm, do you have a sec? To talk?”

“Of course, Souda-kun.”

They find themselves across from each other at one of the smaller tables, and though Komaeda can’t begin to guess where things are about to go, he does notice Souda fidgeting, adjusting his hair like he can’t quite get it where he wants it, hunching and straightening. He looks… self-conscious.

“Er, so, I guess I just wanted to ask you about something kinda personal, and like, normally I wouldn’t have minded taking this kinda thing to Hinata, but I feel like he’s still figuring this stuff out himself and I didn’t wanna, y’know, embarrass him, or piss him off, or make him think I was making fun of him. ‘Cause I’m not! I’m just, curious, I guess? Wait, curious isn’t the right word, but uh—“

“Souda-kun, pardon me for interrupting, but before you explain all this, may I hear what our conversational topic is?” Komaeda smiles gently. Souda does seem to unwind a little at the sight of it.

“Right! Shit, sorry. Um. This is hard to talk about…” Souda inhales. “Komaeda, how’d you figure out that you’re into guys?”

And Komaeda blinks, not because the question is particularly surprising or difficult, but because he realizes he’s never put all that much thought into his own sexuality. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any life-changing anecdotes about that! I just found myself falling for Hinata-kun. Before him, I don’t think I dared to imagine myself pursuing anyone romantically. I don’t mean to be depressing, but I always saw myself as fundamentally unlovable growing up!”

Souda’s mouth opens like he has something to say, then snaps shut like he thought better of it. “…I’d say that’s kinda romantic if it weren’t also a huge bummer. I’m glad Hinata changed your mind, though, man.” A small fraction of his usual toothy grin appears. “I kinda relate, though… Thinking about dating and stuff was really scary growing up.”

“Are you still pursuing Sonia-san?” Komaeda hopes he sounds neutral. By no means does he want to squash Souda’s hopes in regards to Novoselic’s would-be princess (if Novoselic were a country that still existed after the tragedy), but he’s also not completely foolish and he’s seen her and her hamster-covered shadow growing closer and closer over the past several months. They seem to be having a good time, taking care of each other and all the wildlife on Jabberwock. It’d be… challenging, for anything to come between them at this point.

Luckily, Souda seems unburdened by the topic of Sonia. “Haha, ah, no, not anymore. But I’ve talked to Hinata about that one. You can ask him about it, if you want. He gave me a good talking to about the whole thing, and I realized I was being a dick. …She’s really pretty, and I’ve always liked pretty girls. I don’t think that’s changed. But…” He twiddles his calloused, oil-stained fingers. If Souda wasn’t as perpetually oil-stained by way of his work as he always is, Komaeda has a distinct suspicion that the mechanic would just use oil as a perfume. He likes the smell _that_ much. “I guess… seeing you and Hinata…” he gestures vaguely. “Y’know. Made me start thinking more about myself.

Maybe Komaeda’s imagining it, but Souda’s hands almost seem to fidget in the shape of a wrench or some similar tool, like he wishes he could busy himself while talking. He looks around to find something, but the only implements nearby are forks and salt shakers.

“I had this friend… when I was younger… and I’m kind of wondering if maybe, my feelings for him were…” A single, small bead of sweat forms on his forehead, and that’s when it occurs to Komaeda that Souda isn’t just nervous. He’s scared. Talking about this is frightening him.

Komaeda’s never had to think about family or friends reacting to his sexuality because it wasn’t relevant until the former had all died out, and the latter consisted of classmates that were mostly “different” themselves. He has a feeling that it was probably different for Souda, whose history Komaeda is admittedly not all that familiar with, but he’s been around the mechanic enough to understand that Souda is very desperate for the validation of others. Komaeda can hazard a guess that the desperation was born of a deficiency.

The Ultimate Luck hesitates. He doesn’t want to act rashly and accidentally hurt Souda. But, he thinks, maybe doing nothing would hurt more. So he takes the risk and reaches for one of Souda’s fidgeting hands with his own robot one. “Souda-kun? I understand. You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to. But you also don’t have to be afraid of it. You’re with friends who all would accept and support you.”

“Th-that’s almost the problem,” Souda whispers, his eyebrows drawing together. “What would be the point? We’re all on this island now. I’m happy here, but we might never leave. What would be the point of… accepting that part of myself… if I’m probably never gonna, like, date someone? I mean, there’s a lot of great and eligible people among our friends, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t think I’m interested in any of them, at least not right now. It feels like a stupid and selfish thing to admit about myself if it’s not actually gonna change anything outwardly.”

“Hmm…” Komaeda thinks he’s found a good translation. “If an engine isn’t quite doing the job and you want to swap it out for one better suited to the vehicle, but you don’t change the paint job, is it still worthwhile?”

Souda noticeably perks up at the mention of the word engine. “Well… yeah!”

“So… don’t you think it’d be okay for you to accept this part of yourself? Even if it’s just for your own sake? Even if you’re the only one who really knows the difference?”

It’s funny, really, and maybe it’s just because of his brightly colored hair, but Souda looks a lot like a blossoming flower opening its petals to embrace the sunshine as he brightens and his smile grows. “…Yeah! Maybe so!”

Komaeda finds himself relaxing back into his seat, and he didn’t realize he was tensing up to begin with. He supposes it’s been a long time since anyone made him their first choice for advice-seeking. But seeing Souda smiling, big and unabashed, makes something foreign like pride well up in Komaeda’s chest. To be able to give hope to someone as cheerful and outgoing as Souda… it lends Komaeda some understanding of why Hinata enjoys letting others confide in him so often.

“Thanks, man. I’m glad I talked to you,” Souda says softly. “Uh, just for now, can we keep this between us?”

“Of course, Souda-kun. I’d never think of telling others something so personal about you without your permission.”

“Okay, but…” The cheerful expression quickly turns solemn. “That includes your boyfriend too. Okay?”

“Of course…?” Komaeda tilts his head, a little confused.

“Look, I’m not gonna come between you two, but let's just say that Hinata’s kinda what got me wondering about all of this. H-he’s a good looking guy, alright? But don’t! Tell him!! I said that!!!”

Komaeda has to resist the reflexive urge to laugh. He thinks maybe he hears the sound of Hinata sneezing outside.


End file.
